A little place I know

Fowey Hall Hotel & Restaurant

Hanson Drive, Fowey, Cornwall, 01726 833866

Incredibly child-friendly, and in a beautiful setting on the Fowey, this hotel serves local, seasonal, modern British food. You might have mussels fresh from the river or lamb, grilled and served with broad beans and peas - fairly simple food, but handled beautifully. And they make a good G&T, which is very important.

Olga Stores

30 Penton Street, London N1, 020-7837 5467

Everything an old-style, family-run Italian deli should be - cured hams, nice pastries, great grissini, vin santo, magnificent fresh ravioli plus a couple of pots of braised veal hanging around: something to take home and throw in with some pasta.

Stokehouse

30 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia, 0061 3 9525 5555

My favourite restaurant back home in Melbourne, this place is right on the beach, so the views are wonderful. Downstairs, it's quite casual - communal tables and a nice, buzzy atmosphere. Upstairs, it's still relaxed but very polished, with a menu of modern Australian dishes, plus an absolutely superb wine list.

A Dove & Son

71 Northcote Road, London SW11, 020-7223 5191

My favourite butcher in London - the meat is expensive but very well sourced and great quality. They also do wonderful meat pies, and Scotch eggs on a Saturday morning.

Plank's Farm Shop

The Old Potato Yard, Lydeway, Devizes, Wiltshire, 01380 848691

A fantastic, entrepreneurial farm shop, stocking all sorts of produce from local suppliers - potatoes grown on site, milk and yogurt, fruit and veg, meat and ready-to-eat dishes, as well as baked goods, including a pretty sexy lemon drizzle cake.

· John Torode is proprietor of Smith's of Smithfield in London. His latest book, Beef, is out now.